To record the audible output of the card we use our TES Sound Meter and measure about 12-15 inches from the Raven 02 Chassis, which is closed (just as it would be when people are using it). There is no point us laying a sound meter down next to a graphics card on a test bench, its not indicative of a real world environment and gives false (high) readings.
We measured noise by playing Crysis Warhead at Enthusiast settings.
The Vapor X cooler is noticeably quieter than the reference ATI Solution, particularly under heavy load. In real world terms it is impossible to hear the GPU cooler over the noise of our case fans. We are impressed with the Vapor X solution.